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Alberta

THE HALFTIME REPORT News from the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

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Message from the Hall

We’re so excited, Alberta. Every day that goes by brings us one step closer to reopening. But be assured that safety will be priority number one when we can finally reopen. Keep checking our social media feeds and website for updates on our reopening plans. We can’t wait to share all of the changes with you.

This newsletter is sponsored by Premier Building Solutions

Future Events

Currently On Hold

As per the current Covid -19 Guidelines, all in-person events are on hold – be sure to check back here once restrictions are lifted for a list of exciting events happening at the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

Look here for future events

New WHL Award named in recognition of Honoured Member Bob Ridley

Medicine Hat, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced March 1st the Bob Ridley Award for Media Excellence, a new WHL Award which will be presented annually to a distinguished member of the radio, television, and print journalism industry in recognition of their outstanding contributions to sports journalism and the WHL.
Original WHL Article:
http://https://whl.ca/article/western-hockey-league-unveils-bob-ridley-award-for-media-excellence

Provincial Sport Organization of the Month: Baseball Alberta

Baseball Alberta had its birth in the early 1900s, known at that time as the Alberta Amateur Baseball Association. For much of the early 1900s, the Alberta Amateur Baseball Association focused solely on Junior and Senior levels as they oversaw the leagues and Provincial Playoffs.

By 1964, the Alberta Amateur Baseball Association began organizing baseball in the province at all levels from Pee-Wee to Senior. The Provincial Government saw the need to provide travel funds for teams travelling to Westerns and Nationals in 1970. Very quickly baseball began taking off, as in 1971 there were already 104 communities involved with 539 teams registered.

In 1986 the Alberta Baseball Association adopted the name Baseball Alberta as its working name of choice. Today, Baseball Alberta is a leader in developing and promoting baseball on the Local, Provincial and National scene.

Baseball Alberta has been a National leader in developing items such as the Canadian Rule Book, the first National Baseball Week, Baseball Canada Pitch Counts, Girls/Women’s Baseball, the NUCP and NCCP, the Respect in Sport initiative, the Rally Cap and Grand Slam Programs.

There are now close to 100 associations registered with Baseball Alberta from all parts of the province and has over 15,000 players registered and playing baseball.  Baseball Alberta prides itself on providing the opportunity for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to participate in the game of baseball.

This Month in Alberta Sports History

On March 3, 2019, the 27th Canada Winter Games wrapped up following an incredible two-week run in Red Deer. Approximately 2,400 athletes representing all ten of Canada’s provinces and all three territories took part in the event, which began on February 15. Team Quebec finished on top of the podium with 146 total medals, with Team Alberta in second with 100 total medals, and Team British Columbia in third with 87 total medals. Away from the sporting venues, the Games also featured a rich arts and cultural festival.

Artifact of the Month

Artefact: Silver Chalice Trophy
Accession #: 2001.15.08
Year: 1940s-1950s
Description:
The Alexandra Hotel Trophy was awarded to athletes competing in the Calgary Ladies Fastball annual championship between 1945 and 1956. Across the wooden base, there are seven small plaques with the names of the winning teams and the year of the championship. This trophy is made from silver and is shaped in the traditional ‘chalice’ style. Cup-style trophies began to appear at sporting events as early as the late 1600s. Since then, trophy style has changed considerably; with various shapes and designs found in modern trophies. The classic chalice-style, however, has remained one of the more popular choices in marking victory.

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After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Alberta

Red Deer Justice Centre Grand Opening: Building access to justice for Albertans

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The new Red Deer Justice Centre will help Albertans resolve their legal matters faster.

Albertans deserve to have access to a fair, accessible and transparent justice system. Modernizing Alberta’s courthouse infrastructure will help make sure Alberta’s justice system runs efficiently and meets the needs of the province’s growing population.

Alberta’s government has invested $191 million to build the new Red Deer Justice Centre, increasing the number of courtrooms from eight to 12, allowing more cases to be heard at one time.

“Modern, accessible courthouses and streamlined services not only strengthen our justice
system – they build safer, stronger communities across the province. Investing in the new Red Deer Justice Centre is vital to helping our justice system operate more efficiently, and will give people in Red Deer and across central Alberta better access to justice.”

Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Attorney General

Government of Alberta and Judiciary representatives with special guests at the Red Deer Justice Centre plaque unveiling event April 22, 2025.

On March 3, all court services in Red Deer began operating out of the new justice centre. The new justice centre has 12 courtrooms fully built and equipped with video-conference equipment to allow witnesses to attend remotely if they cannot travel, and vulnerable witnesses to testify from outside the courtroom.

The new justice centre also has spaces for people taking alternative approaches to the traditional courtroom trial process, with the three new suites for judicial dispute resolution services, a specific suite for other dispute resolution services, such as family mediation and civil mediation, and a new Indigenous courtroom with dedicated venting for smudging purposes.

“We are very excited about this new courthouse for central Alberta. Investing in the places where people seek justice shows respect for the rights of all Albertans. The Red Deer Justice Centre fills a significant infrastructure need for this rapidly growing part of the province. It is also an important symbol of the rule of law, meaning that none of us are above the law, and there is an independent judiciary to decide disputes. This is essential for a healthy functioning democracy.”

Ritu Khullar, chief justice of Alberta

“Public safety and access to justice go hand in hand. With this investment in the new Red Deer Justice Centre, Alberta’s government is ensuring that communities are safer, legal matters are resolved more efficiently and all Albertans get the support they need.”

Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services

“This state-of-the-art facility will serve the people of Red Deer and surrounding communities for generations. Our team at Infrastructure is incredibly proud of the work done to plan, design and build this project. I want to thank everyone, at all levels, who helped make this project a reality.”

Martin Long, Minister of Infrastructure

Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on the economy.

Quick facts

  • The new Red Deer Justice Centre is 312,000 sq ft (29,000 m2). (The old courthouse is 98,780 sq ft (9,177 m2)).
  • The approved project funding for the Red Deer Justice Centre is about $191 million.
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Alberta

CPP another example of Albertans’ outsized contribution to Canada

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From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill

Amid the economic uncertainty fuelled by Trump’s trade war, its perhaps more important than ever to understand Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and its outsized contribution to programs such as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

From 1981 to 2022, Albertan’s net contribution to the CPP—meaning the amount Albertans paid into the program over and above what retirees in Alberta received in CPP payments—was $53.6 billion. In 2022 (the latest year of available data), Albertans’ net contribution to the CPP was $3.0 billion.

During that same period (1981 to 2022), British Columbia was the only other province where residents paid more into the CPP than retirees received in benefits—and Alberta’s contribution was six times greater than B.C.’s contribution. Put differently, residents in seven out of the nine provinces that participate in the CPP (Quebec has its own plan) receive more back in benefits than they contribute to the program.

Albertans pay an outsized contribution to federal and national programs, including the CPP because of the province’s relatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes and younger population (i.e. more workers pay into the CPP and less retirees take from it).

Put simply, Albertan workers have been helping fund the retirement of Canadians from coast to coast for decades, and without Alberta, the CPP would look much different.

How different?

If Alberta withdrew from the CPP and established its own standalone provincial pension plan, Alberta workers would receive the same retirement benefits but at a lower cost (i.e. lower CPP contribution rate deducted from our paycheques) than other Canadians, while the contribution rate—essentially the CPP tax rate—to fund the program would likely need to increase for the rest of the country to maintain the same benefits.

And given current demographic projections, immigration patterns and Alberta’s long history of leading the provinces in economic growth, Albertan workers will likely continue to pay more into the CPP than Albertan retirees get back from it.

Therefore, considering Alberta’s crucial role in national programs, the next federal government—whoever that may be—should undo and prevent policies that negatively impact the province and Albertans ability to contribute to Canada. Think of Bill C-69 (which imposes complex, uncertain and onerous review requirements on major energy projects), Bill C-48 (which bans large oil tankers off B.C.’s northern coast and limits access to Asian markets), an arbitrary cap on oil and gas emissions, numerous other “net-zero” targets, and so on.

Canada faces serious economic challenges, including a trade war with the United States. In times like this, it’s important to remember Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and the outsized contributions of Alberta workers to the wellbeing of Canadians across the country.

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